The digital asset platform told CNBC it has submitted two applications to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates futures and derivatives. One would make it a designated contract market, letting it operate a futures exchange. The other seeks futures commission merchant registration, the license for firms that broker customer derivatives trades.
"Users should be able to manage their digital assets, trade derivatives, and take positions on real-world events easily, without jumping between different apps," said Peter Smith, CEO and co-founder of Blockchain.com. "Our DCM and FCM applications build toward that future in the U.S. through the appropriate regulatory frameworks."
The push lines up with a broader surge in interest around prediction markets, where traders wager on outcomes of real-world events.
Crypto platforms moving into event contracts blurs two regulated worlds. Market Briefs covers that convergence free every weekday.
Earlier this year, Blockchain.com began offering prediction markets via a partnership with Polymarket and rolled out perpetual futures powered by Hyperliquid for some customers outside the U.S. Across the industry, crypto firms and prediction markets are meeting in the middle: Crypto.com and Gemini Space Station run their own event contract venues, while Coinbase primarily offers them through a tie-up with Kalshi. Meanwhile, Kalshi has launched perpetual futures for U.S. customers, and Polymarket has introduced them for international users.
Blockchain.com is joining 11 other applicants this year seeking approval for designated contract market licenses. In a separate move, the CFTC signed off on six additional DCMs in 2026.
The licensing effort comes as the company prepares for public markets. The company confidentially submitted an IPO filing with the SEC in May; last month, Bloomberg reported it aims to go public this year with a targeted valuation between $4 billion and $6 billion. For everyday investors, more regulated venues for speculating on real-world outcomes and crypto prices could soon show up in mainstream apps, potentially changing how accessible these products feel.
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